Forest Coat

Several years ago, Riis became enchanted by the leafy greenery and flowing movement of historic verdure tapestries. The fiber artist’s fascination with these exuberant European textiles is clearly seen in this sculptural tapestry commissioned by the MIA. In fact, the 16th-century verdure tapestry displayed to the left inspired this coat—like many objects in the collection, a contemporary creation sparked by art of the past. The tapestry coat follows the form of traditional T-shaped Chinese court robes (jifu), elegantly combining Eastern and Western textile traditions. This marriage of contrasts is echoed in the foliage exterior that is threatened from within, where oversized insects creep, crawl, and crunch.